


We Can Burn Brighter

by lco123



Category: Booksmart (2019), Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Booksmart AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-03-20 01:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18982138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lco123/pseuds/lco123
Summary: Emily sighs. “Why does any of this matter? We’re graduating tomorrow.”Spencer flops down on the bench beside Emily. “It matters because we could have had both! I was so focused on studying, and you were so focused on swimming, and we never did anything fun. We never broke any rules!”A Booksmart AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, for literal years I have wondered what a normal high school version of PLL would look like - y'know, one without pedophile English teachers, dead girls who aren't dead, and menacing adrenalized hyperreality-having ghost ninjas. And then yesterday, I saw my favorite movie of 2019 so far, Booksmart, and the thought "Spencer Hastings is Molly" came into my head, and the rest is history. I know, big surprise that I found a way to make it Spanna.
> 
> This isn't a direct replica of the movie Booksmart, but there are some definite narrative parallels that could count as spoilers if you haven't seen the film. So, as if you needed another reason to do so, go see it.
> 
> Lastly, this is possibly the silliest thing I've ever written.

It simply isn’t possible.

“What?” Spencer says.

“I’m going to Yale, too,” Alison repeats. She turns to Noel, who pauses his project of adding weirdly detailed areoles to the giant boobs he just graffitied on the bathroom wall to look at her.

“Tell her where you’re going,” Ali prompts.

Noel smiles. “I’m going to Stanford next year.”

Spencer actually feels the blood drain from her face. “No.”

Ali bites her lip, clearly delighted, and takes a step closer. “It’s true. How about you, Jason?”

Jason takes another hit off his vape pen— _fucking idiot_ , Spencer thinks not for the first time— _in the goddamn school bathroom_ —and replies, “Well, I’m not going to school. But I got tapped to do coding for Google.”

“You failed the seventh grade twice!” Spencer hears herself screech.

“What can I say?” Jason replies. “Third time’s the charm.”

“I’m so proud of you, bro,” Alison says. It’s all a performance. Ali mocks her older brother more than she mocks anyone.

Well, other than Spencer, apparently.

She turns back to Spencer. “Hey, when we’re at Yale, I’m going to pretend like I don’t know you, okay?”

“You’re a party girl!” Spencer points out, pathetically. “You don’t care about school!”

“Correction: I don’t _only_ care about school.” Ali smirks. “Unlike some people.”

Spencer doesn’t even remember getting back to the lunch table, she just knows that suddenly Emily is calling her name in a concerned voice.

“Spence! Spencer! What happened to you in that bathroom?” Emily demands.

Spencer’s focus is trained in front of her, on Hanna and Alison who are on the other side of the quad. Probably talking about prom. Which Spencer and Emily did not attend on account of the Physics test that they were studying for and later aced, thank you very much.

It had nothing to do with the fact that neither of them had dates.

“I cannot believe we used to be friends with them,” Spencer grumbles.

Emily follows her gaze. “Ali and Hanna? I know we grew apart after middle school, but they’re really not so bad. Plus, I heard that Hanna got into Georgetown, which is cool—”

“ _Georgetown?!_ ” Spencer bellows, earning a glare from a few passersby. “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Um, no?”

Spencer takes a ferocious bite of her apple, continuing to talk with her mouth full. “Hanna Marin doesn’t know how to say ‘nuclear!’ She thinks Stockholm Syndrome is called ‘Swedish Syndrome!’”

Emily grabs her wrist. “She’s also your VP, right?”

“Oh, whatever.” Spencer rolls her eyes. “We all know that’s a political position and she only wanted it so she could plan the dances. With _Mona_ at her side _._ ”

Emily tightens her grip. “You really need to calm down. You’re kind of making a scene.”

“Mona is five feet of insidious snark with a side ponytail, and I just want to yank it really, really hard!”

 _“Spencer_ ,” Emily says through gritted teeth. “Calm the f down. You’re not even blinking. Those girls are not the enemy.”

Spencer folds her arms. “You sure about that?”

Emily sighs. “Why does any of this matter? We’re graduating tomorrow.”

Spencer flops down on the bench beside Emily. “It matters because we could have had both! I was so focused on studying, and you were so focused on swimming, and we never did anything fun. We never broke any rules!”

“That’s not…entirely true,” Emily replies.

Spencer shakes her head. “Face it, Em. We’ve never been home after curfew. We’ve never had sex with anyone. We’ve never even been drunk! ”

“I smoked pot that one time with Maya,” Emily points out.

“If I remember that story correctly, you pretended to inhale, she kissed you on the cheek, you obsessed about it for a month, and then you never called her back.”

“I was still figuring things out!” Emily huffs.

Spencer presses a hand lightly against Em's shoulder. “And that is perfectly fine. But look, we have one night left to be people who worked hard _and_ played hard in high school. We can’t waste it.”

Emily arches an eyebrow. “What exactly are you proposing?”

Spencer swivels to face Emily, revealing with a bit of a flourish, “Well, I think we need to go to a party.”

“Really?”

“An epic party. An A+ party,” Spencer continues. “The kind of party that Alison DiLaurentis and Hanna Marin would find fantastically, undeniably cool.”

Emily pushes some corn around on her cardboard plate. “You have a weird vibe today.”

“A _determined_ vibe.”

“Whose party are we even going to go to?” Emily asks. “We’re not friends with people who have parties. We’re barely friends with anyone but each other.”

“That might be true, but it doesn’t take a popular kid to know where the parties are at. You follow me?”

Spencer gives Emily a second to connect the dots, and when Emily does her head makes a sharp horizontal line across the air. “We’re _not_ going to the Kahn Cabin. You’ve heard about the crazy shit that goes down there. What if something really bad happens?”

“Nothing bad is going to happen,” Spencer insists. “Melissa went to some of their parties when she was still in high school. She was fine.”

“Spence, your sister is a badass.”

“ _And?”_ Spencer prompts.

Emily puts her hands up defensively. “And you are too, of course. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. Especially with your whole…energy today. I feel like you might show up in a mask of Ali’s face, or something.”

Spencer scoots closer on the bench. “There will be girls at that party. Lots and lots of cute, drunk girls who have just been waiting to make their move on Emily Fields.” She recognizes that she’s playing a little dirty, but it’s also the truth.

Emily starts to flush. “Oh my god, stop it.”

“I won’t stop it. You know why?” Spencer looks into Emily’s eyes. “Because you are a damn catch, my friend! But you’ve been so focused on swimming that you haven’t even noticed. I see the way girls look at you. You’re a lady magnet, or you could be if you wanted to! You should be getting it wet in a lot of other places than just the pool, that’s all I’m saying.”

Emily looks like she might pass out. “Okay, Jesus, if I agree to go to the party will you please stop talking?”

“Affirmative," Spencer says with a grin.

Emily hesitates for one more second before relenting. “Fine. Then I guess we’re going to a party.”

Spencer smacks the table. “Hell yeah.”

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Spencer laughs. "Almost definitely."


	2. Chapter 2

It seems like everyone but Spencer and Emily knows where the Kahn Cabin is. And literally no one will text them back.

“This is ridiculous!” Spencer yells at her phone as she and Emily sit by the curb. They managed to sneak out of the house for the evening, only to realize that they had no idea where they were actually going. 

“We could try Andrew,” Emily suggests. “Although I’m not sure if he’ll know anything.”

“Yeah, plus things are still weird between us.”

“Right,” Emily says. “Because you basically promised him sexual favors that you never had any intention of delivering on if he reinstated you as academic decathlon team captain.”

Spencer glares at her. “You never get tired of bringing that up, do you?”

“It wasn’t exactly your finest hour,” Emily acknowledges.

“Like Mona didn’t do way worse to usurp my position.”

“Two wrongs—”

“Don’t make a right, yeah, yeah.” Spencer scowls at her phone, wishing that she felt more in control of their current predicament. The concrete is starting to get uncomfortable, but she’s pretty sure that if they scoot back she’ll end up with a grass stain on her favorite jeans. She’s attempting a casual look tonight, in jeans and her least collegiate-looking blazer. It doesn’t exactly come naturally. Emily, for her part, looks effortlessly cool in a slouchy sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

Spencer scrolls through her contacts once more. “Lucas?”

“ _God_ , no!” Emily shudders. “Do you know that he offered to give me a _massage_ last week?”

Spencer makes a retching sound. “Fucking creep.” She refreshes Instagram, seeing a new video from Noel’s party of Mona doing a keg stand.

Emily hums to herself for a second before snapping her fingers. “Wait, I have an idea. But you’re not going to like it.”

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them are sitting in the back of Paige McCullers’ car, Emily trying to keep up with Paige’s rapid-fire questions about the swim team, and Spencer trying to communicate to Emily with her eyes how much she hates this situation.

“So, do you think Paulson’s neck injury will keep her out for the rest of the season?” Paige chirps from the driver’s seat. “Because we’re going to have to seriously focus if we want to beat Oakwood without her.”

“Um, maybe,” Emily replies. “We don’t have to talk about swimming, though.”

“Of course, of course!” Paige’s tone is nearly shrill. “What do you guys want to talk about?”

“I don’t know, how about your penchant for trying to drown your strongest competition,” Spencer grumbles in a voice just low enough to keep Paige from hearing. Emily swats at her arm.

“What was that?” Paige asks.

“Nothing!” Emily insists. “You know where the Kahn Cabin is, right?”

“Totally,” Paige says. “Though I thought maybe we could go by my aunt’s lake house?”

“What?” Spencer demands.

“Yeah, I’m having a party there tonight with some of the swim team girls. Emily, I actually invited you. Don’t you remember?”

Spencer bugs her eyes even wider at Emily. “I…do,” Emily says slowly. “I just…uh—”

“We have a prior engagement,” Spencer cuts in. “And we have to get out of the car now. Sorry!”

“Wait, what?” Paige asks.

“Stop the car!” Spencer commands.

“Um…”

“It’s an emergency!”

“ _Spencer!_ ” Emily mutters, but Paige has already pulled over. “I’m so sorry!” Emily tosses off to Paige as Spencer practically drags her from the car.

The two of them stand by the side of the road, staring each other down. Spencer can tell that Emily is less than pleased with her. “What the hell was that?!”

“That was not going to end well,” Spencer says knowingly. “I was just protecting you.”

“From what? I don’t need your protection! I told you that Paige and I are cool now.”

Spencer sighs. “Paige has feelings for you. It’s painfully obvious. This night was either going to end in a terrible rejection or you having pity sex with her, and you deserve better for your first time. I was saving you both.”

Emily looks like she wants to say more, but instead she closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. “What are we going to do now?”

Spencer checks her phone again, pleased when she sees a message has come through. “I think we have some intel. I just got a text from Cindy. We have an address.”

“Thank god,” Emily exhales. “I’ll call a Lyft.”

The car arrives in no time, and Spencer is just beginning to think that this night is turning around when their driver swivels to greet them. All of the color drains from Ezra Fitz’s face, and Spencer is sure that her and Emily’s expressions match his.

“Oh, hi, ladies,” Mr. Fitz says weakly. “Nothing like getting a ride from your English teacher, right? Or former English teacher, as of the next twelve hours.”

Spencer grips Emily’s thigh. “Right,” she replies. “Random, huh?”

“Well, Lyft helps supplement the income,” Mr. Fitz explains. “I’m not just a teacher, you know. I’m actually a writer. I’ve been working on a novel lately.”

“Oh?” Emily says politely.

“Yeah,” Mr. Fitz continues. “It’s about a brilliant heir to a family fortune who's trying to establish his own identity when he gets embroiled in a murder mystery. And there are all these young women who can’t help but fall in love with him.”

“Wow,” Spencer says through gritted teeth. “Sounds fascinating.”

“I think it could be a bestseller,” Mr. Fitz says.

“I’d love to read it, Mr. Fitz,” Emily replies in a voice only Spencer can tell is insincere.

“Please, call me Ezra. After all, we’re practically equals. I’m not that much older than you guys.” Mr. Fitz winks at them and Spencer tightens her grip. “Hey, looks like we’re here.”

“And not a moment too soon,” Spencer mutters. “Thank you!”

The two of them race out of the car and up the front steps of the hulking estate. The path is oddly dark, and Spencer grabs Emily’s hand. “Jesus Christ, could this night get any weirder?” she asks as Emily knocks on the door.

As if on cue, the lace curtain on the windowed door lifts and Sara Harvey’s face appears in front of them. They both startle backwards as Sara opens the door. She’s wearing a high-necked pale dress covered in ruffles, and looks more or less like a creepy doll from the early twentieth century.

“Hello,” Sara drawls in Emily’s direction. “Are you a sour girl?”

Emily’s eyebrows fly up. “I don’t know how to begin answering that question.”

“Dammit, Sara!” comes the indignant voice of Jenna Marshall as she stomps toward them. “Don’t say that to _them_!” Jenna looks at Spencer and Emily. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

Spencer blinks at her. “You’re not Noel Kahn.”

“No, I clearly am not,” Jenna replies icily, adjusting her silk robe. Jenna is dressed all in black, wearing a strappy ensemble that makes her look like a vampire sorceress. Minus the fangs.

“Cindy said there was a party happening here,” Emily supplies.

Spencer sweeps her gaze around the room. This home is grand, but not in the way that she imagines the Kahn Cabin. She feels a little like she stepped into Phantom of the Opera. The loud orchestra music playing in the background enhances the experience.

“We _are_ having a party,” Jenna says. “A murder mystery. We have to figure out who killed the cop. But you were not invited.”

“Believe me, that is _fine_ ,” Spencer tells her.

Jenna takes a step forward. “You think you’re so much better than everyone else, don’t you? Yet here you are on _my_ doorstep, trying to find a place where you’ll never belong. Funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

Spencer’s nostrils start to flare and Emily takes a step forward. “Okay, I think we’ve seen enough. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“By all means, come in,” Jenna continues, gesturing them further into the house. “See what you’ll be missing.”

The house is fairly dark, most of the light coming from the ostentatious chandelier hanging above the front door, but Spencer can recognize a few faces in the next room. Cindy and Mindy are dressed in matching outfits, looking like they stepped out of The Shining. They’re talking to Sydney, who’s wearing a tuxedo, and Shana, in a floor-length red gown. From what Spencer can tell, there aren’t many other people here.

Spencer huffs. “I think we’ve goo—”

“Spencer! Emily!” comes an excited call. “You guys are here!” Mona races down the stairs. Her face is the picture of 1920’s glamour, but she has a Rosewood Sharks hoodie on over her dress.

“Hey,” Spencer says stiffly when Mona rushes toward them. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, I thought I’d come check it out,” Mona says with a smile. “I love a good mystery.”

“Wait, where’d you get that hoodie?” Emily asks.

“From Paige’s,” Mona replies. “I stopped by her party, too.”

Spencer folds her arms. “I thought you were at the Kahn Cabin.”

“I was,” Mona says brightly. “And I was just heading back there.”

“How can you be so many places at once?” Spencer asks.

Mona winks. “Maybe I have superpowers. You guys heading to the cabin? We can go together.”

Spencer shrugs in Emily’s direction. She isn’t thrilled about spending time with Mona, but she realizes that they’re running out of options. “Sure.”

Mona beams. “Great! Let’s go!” She turns to Jenna before they leave. “By the way, my character did it.” She throws a dramatic hand over her chest. “I killed the cop!”

Jenna practically chase them out of the house, screeching to Sara about Mona revealing the ending.

“Weird party,” Spencer murmurs as the door slams behind them.

Mona nods. “You don’t know the half of it. Did one of you call a car?”

“I’m kinda scared of Lyft now,” Emily admits.

“Oh, did Mr. Fitz pick you up?” Mona asks. “I’m pretty sure he just circles the neighborhood looking for teen girls to try and impress.”

“What a prince.” Spencer clucks her tongue. “Wait, I know who we can call. I don’t know if she’ll do it, but we can try.”

“Ms. Montgomery?” Emily guesses.

“You know it.”


	3. Chapter 3

After calling Ms. Montgomery, who actually agrees to pick them up, the three of them sit by the curb and wait. Spencer wishes that this night was going differently. She wishes that she felt changed or validated or more experienced than she did just a few hours ago, sitting on a different curb outside Emily’s house.

Well, the night is still young. And they still have a chance to regain their momentum.

Emily, perhaps, is not on the same page. She’s sitting between Mona and Spencer, but as far from Mona as is socially acceptable. When she starts chewing her lip and nudging Spencer’s side, Spencer already knows what’s coming next.

“Listen,” Emily starts off softly. “I think when Ms. Montgomery gets here, we should just have her take us home.”

“Why would we do that?” Spencer asks, tone sharp.

“Spence, c’mon,” Emily continues. “This night has been a disaster.”

“Hey, that’s a little—”

“Maybe we’re not meant to go to Noel’s. Did you ever think of that?”

“Not meant to?” Spencer parrots. She knows that her voice is rising, and is well aware that Mona can hear everything they’re saying. Mona’s acting like she’s engrossed in her phone, but in reality she’s probably stock-piling this conversation for ammunition to use at graduation, or something. In this moment Spencer doesn’t even care. “This isn’t some hippy dippy universe thing. We’re smart and capable, and we’re getting ourselves to that party.”

Emily huffs out a breath. “What is with you and that party?”

“We need to show those girls that we can be cool and fun!” Spencer insists. “Just as much as they are!”

“It’s not a competition!”

“ _Everything’s_ a competition!”

“You’re one of the most confident people I know,” Emily remarks. “Why do you care what they think?”

“Because she loves Hanna,” Mona says.

Spencer and Emily both whip around to face her. Mona sighs and puts down her phone, like this whole conversation is boring her.

“What?” Emily demands.

“Mona, shut the fuck up,” Spencer says sharply. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mona chuckles. “Believe me, I do.”

Emily glances between the two of them. “You’re—not—you’re—what? Spencer hates Hanna.”

“She projects hate,” Mona continues sagely. “To cover up a deep and abiding love. It’s not that hard to see, Emily. You just haven’t been paying attention.”

Spencer feels her face getting hot. She clenches her fists together to keep from reaching across Emily and punching Mona.

Mona’s face brightens as a car pulls up next to them. The window rolls down and Ms. Montgomery smiles from the driver’s window. “You girls need a ride?”

“Give us a minute,” Emily murmurs, seemingly to both Mona and Ms. Montgomery. Mona waits no time in hopping up off the curb and bouncing into the front seat of the car.

Saved by the goddamn bell.

Spencer squeezes her eyes together tightly, willing herself to be out of this moment. Emily, for her part, places a gentle hand on Spencer’s knee.

“Spence?” Emily prompts.

“No,” Spencer says.

“Spence.”

“No.”

“ _Spence._ ”

“No,” Spencer repeats, finally opening her eyes, which are annoyingly hot with tears, all of a sudden. “I don’t like Hanna. Mona is—she has weird ideas about everything, we know this. Frankly, I think _she_ might be the one in love with Hanna, if you’re asking my opinion.”

Emily offers her a sweet smile. “We’re not talking about Mona right now. What’s up with you and Hanna?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” Spencer says a little too firmly. “Nothing is up because nothing can be up. Sure, Hanna’s pretty and she makes me laugh, but that doesn’t mean anything because she’s into fashion and dances and most of all, _Caleb_ , and she doesn’t know anything about politics and—”

“She and Caleb broke up,” Emily interjects.

Spencer’s belly flips. “What?”

Emily nods. “Yeah, last week. You didn’t hear? He’s moving to Ravenswood, or something.”

Spencer straightens her spine. “Well, that doesn’t change anything. She’s still who she is and I’m still who I am. Even if she is into girls—which I’m not certain that she is—she’d never go for a girl like me.”

“Why the hell not?”

Spencer blinks back more tears. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, Em, but I’m difficult. I’m too serious, I’m too driven, and according to a conversation I overheard Hanna having in the bathroom a few days ago, I’m scary to anyone under the age of sixty.”

In a swift movement, Emily lifts her hand from Spencer’s knee and slaps Spencer across the face with it.

“What the fuck?!” Spencer shrieks, rubbing her cheek. “That fucking hurt!”

“Don’t you dare talk about my best friend that way!” Emily exclaims. “You _are_ serious, and driven, and kind of scary, but that’s what makes you incredible. You’re strong, smart and beautiful, and Hanna Marin would be lucky to call you hers.”

Spencer’s anger about the slap softens immediately. “Em…”

“I’m not done!” Emily declares. “Hanna is also a cool, awesome person. When we worked on that project together last year, I actually got to know her, and she’s got more going on than you give her credit for. Don’t start making assumptions about how things are going to go tonight.”

“Tonight?” Spencer echoes.

Emily nods, rising to her feet. “Yep. Because we have a party to get to.”

Spencer sniffs as she takes Emily’s hand. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Emily says, pulling Spencer toward the car and opening the door.

“Fucking _finally_ ,” Mona groans from the front seat.

“Everything okay?” Ms. Montgomery asks with mild concern.

Emily squeezes Spencer’s hand and smiles.

Spencer lets out the breath she’s been holding. “Yeah. We’re ready to go.”


End file.
